TEHRAN -- The Catholic Church is facing pedophilia charges while seven adults have filed lawsuits accusing a California priest of child sex abuse between 1972 and up until 2001.

The plaintiffs, who include six women and one man, say they were abused by father Stephen Kiesle. They go on to say the Catholic Church has long facilitated the molestation of children by protecting the well-known child molesting priests.

This is the latest of several lawsuits where individuals say the Catholic Church is closing its eyes to sexual abuse of children by priests and church officials. The church has paid out more than 400,000 million dollars to victims of clergy sex abuse.

The following is a transcription with Alfred Lambremont Webre, who is an international lawyer specializing in war crimes. Mr. Webre shares his insights regarding these types of cases and explains how the Catholic Church has a dark history of satanic sexual abuse, which taints the hierarchal structure of the church from the father all the way up to the Pope.

Press TV: To discuss this scandal further, we are being joined by international lawyer Alfred Lambremont Webre from Vancouver, Canada. Many thanks for joining us here on Press TV. This case is not an isolated incident. There are reports alleging the current Pope being involved in a massive cover-up for the sake of the Church. Now with the Vatican's defense being that one cannot prosecute the head of a state, can there be no justice as far as the upper echelons of the church go?

Webre: I think that in this case it's not the Vatican which is being sued here. It's the diocese of Oakland so that this case can go forward. What is very interesting is the evidence in this case which is the lavation file of the accused former priest. There's a letter in there that bears the signature of the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI and there was a letter to diocese officials in which Ratzinger, the current Pope, said that the arguments for removing the accused priest were quote, “of grave significance and that the action required careful review and more time.” So in this case we have the evidence with the current pope's own signature that he signed so as to protect this particular priest more and to give it more time. Now people are saying that this is a pattern of protecting the church from embarrassment. Let's turn this around. Suppose Cardinal Ratzinger, the current pope, was actually running a sexual abuse ring for “satanic worshipers” using Satanism and using sexual abuse. They were actually encouraging sexual abuse by priests on children around the world as part of a “Satanic Ritual.” That's what this looks like to me as a lawyer, as a war crimes lawyer. Actually, the current Pope was covering up satanic rituals of sex abuse within the current Catholic Church, and here we have his signature of “Pope Benedict XVI” (Cardinal Ratzinger) on the letter of Stephen Keiser who's the accused priest. We have his signature and that's the evidence in this case. They can't plead sovereign immunity because it's the diocese of Oakland that is being sued.

Press TV: The church has paid millions of dollars to victims of clergy sex abuse. Now will the extent of punishment here go just as far as defaulting?

Webre: You know, there is no dollar amount you can really put on the pain and suffering of these individuals and this is really a war crime. You have a major church, a major institution, which has been committing a fraud against the children of the world, against the families of the world, and maybe a satanic organization in our midst, and has committed war crimes against humanity as that is understood under the various conventions. So, there is no price here. What exactly was the intent of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger? We know he has Nazi ties from his childhood.

Press TV: Now with such large numbers of lawsuits being filed against members of the Catholic Church, how would you assess its standing with its thousands of worshipers around the world now?

Webre: Well, you know that's a good question. Because you have a hierarchy that is in serious trouble, and does not want to look at their actions. They are hiding behind improper defenses like sovereign immunity, that it's a state as if it goes back to a decision when they were the Holy Roman Empire. It was the Roman Emperor around 300 AD that marked into the Pope. That is what we have. We have the former Roman Emperor who's now in the Vatican in Rome. This is a historical fact. And for a religious, ethical and moral leader to hide behind the defense of sovereign immunity on a criminal prosecution of moral turpitude is beyond the pale. So, whether or not the Roman Catholic Church will survive this crisis, depends on how they are reacting. So far, they are not reacting well. Women have come forward and have wanted to be priests. They have been rebuffed completely. It appears as though Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the current Pope) signature is all over the crimes that have been committed here, and as an attorney, I can tell you we have a big case of “Satanism” here with the Robert Picton cases here in Canada. So, I would say that, investigators should start looking at the Catholic Church as a possible “Satanic Organization.”

Press TV: I'm afraid we will have to leave it there. That was international lawyer Alfred Lambremont Webre speaking to us from Vancouver.